Tragicomedy and Theater of
the Absurd
Vanessa Clayberg and Paul Johnson
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedies fall in the middle of the tragic/comic spectrum,
in that they focus on high and low characters and situations and
that they bring a potentially tragic plot to a happy resolution, at
least for the protagonist, through a sudden reversal of fortune
or the reformation of the protagonist's opponent.
Examples of Tragicomedy
Shakespeare's The Tempest: Prospero and his daughter
Miranda are betrayed and banished to live on an island by his
brother Antonio and Alonso, King of Naples. The play ends
when a shipwreck bring Prospero's betrayer in front of him for
judgement.
Edward Scissorhands (Movie): In the end of the film, the whole
town turns on Edward, but the kindness of Kim and a police
officer allows him to escape from the towns pursuit.
Theater of the Absurd
Theater of the absurd questions the meaning of life in a
universe seen as godless and which has overthrown such
accepted conventions as a well-established setting, logical
dialogue, and a fully resolved conflict.
The story involving theater of the absurd may take place in an
undisclosed location or have a cliff-hanger ending.
Influential playwrights of the theater of the absurd are Eugene
Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, and Harold Pinter.
Examples of Theater of the Absurd
Beckett's Endgame takes place in a desolate room that
overlooks a barren landscape. The cause of the isolation is
unknown.
In Harold Pinter's play The Room, the main character Rose is
kept inside of a room by unknown forces. And outsider named
Riley then invades her space and causes her distress.